Quotes by Christopher Reeve

You should have a dream and absolutely go for it. Don't let anybody say you can't do it.

What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely.

We have a government that, generally speaking, does not respond to the people.

I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.

Don't put a limit on what can be accomplished.

I have never been disabled in my dreams.

If you don't have a vision, nothing happens.

Pain is inevitable. Misery is a choice.

I don't have to prove anything to anyone. As a result, I am ready to take up again the characters who are closer to what I really am.

In the second half of the 20th century, people are becoming more limited: Vocabularies are smaller, thoughts are smaller, aspirations are smaller, everything is very scaled down. Everyone is typecast.

Either you vegetate and look out a window, or activate and try to effect change.

All the scientists who are working on solving the problem of curing paralysis say that it won't do you any good if you don't keep your body in shape.

I don't think actors are to blame for poor writing. The culture changes first, and the theater follows it. In the case of the movies, it's the same thing.

We can either watch life from the sidelines, or actively participate... Either we let self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy prevent us from realising our potential, or embrace the fact that when we turn our attention away from ourselves, our potential is limitless.

You can do anything you think you can.

I refuse to allow a disability to determine how I live my life. There is only one way to go in life and that is forward.

We all have many more abilities and internal resources than we know. My advice is that you don't need to break your neck to find out about them.

Every scientist should remove the word 'impossible' from their lexicon.

What I do is based on powers we all have inside us; the ability to endure; the ability to love, to carry on, to make the best of what we have -- and you don't have to be a 'Superman' to do it.

The key to success is letting the relationships in your life grow to the highest levels they possibly can ... not putting yourself first in life and remembering that the more you give away, the more you have.

By reaching out, more comes back than you can possibly imagine.

In the face of adversity, hope often comes in the form of a friend who reaches out to us.

I'm not living the life I thought I would lead, but it does have meaning, purpose. There is love... there is joy... there is laughter.

You learn the stuff of your life (sports, movies, traveling) ... that's not the essence of your existence, my relationships were always good. Now they have transcended (rise beyond).

What can I do today to take a step forward?

I think we all have a little voice inside us that will guide us. It may be God, I don't know. But I think that if we shut out all the noise and clutter from our lives and listen to that voice, it will tell us the right thing to do.

I remember telling a neurosurgeon, Don't give me too much information, because at the moment my ignorance is my best asset.

Misfortune can force you into doing things you should be doing anyway. Lessons come from adversity. Anything can happen to anyone... You can find a new lease on life -- more meaning than you thought possible in simple things... Let go. Live in the moment. Go forward.

When we turn our attention away from ourselves, our potential is limitless.

It never occurred to me that I was a leading man until I was 19 years old. I had been acting since I was 10, so that's nine years and 30 or 40 plays, in school and summer stock, professional theater, too.

I get pretty impatient with people who are able-bodied but are somehow paralyzed for other reasons.

A hero is an ordinary person doing things in an extra ordinary way.

Success is not about money and power. Real success is about relationships. There's no point in making $50 million a year if your teenager thinks you're a jerk and you spend no time with your wife.

The bigger the canvas, the better I do. I'm not so good at understated, kitchen-sink kinds of parts.

On the wall of his rehabilitation room was a picture of the space shuttle blasting off, autographed by every astronaut now at NASA. On top of the picture it says, We found nothing is impossible. That should be our motto.

Once you choose hope, anything's possible.

At first dreams seem impossible, then improbable, then inevitable.

I am a very lucky guy. I can testify before Congress. I can raise funds. I can raise awareness.

To be able to feel the lightest touch really is a gift.

Even though I don't personally believe in the Lord, I try to behave as though He was watching.

I have more awareness of other people and, I hope, more sensitivity to their needs. I also find that I'm more direct and outspoken.

You've got to give more than you take.

It's important to me to say what I really mean.

You play the hand you're dealt. I think the game's worthwhile.

We live in a time when the words impossible and unsolvable are no longer part of the scientific community's vocabulary. Each day we move closer to trials that will not just minimize the symptoms of disease and injury but eliminate them.

Your body is not who you are. The mind and spirit transcend the body.

I never said I will stand, I said I hoped to stand. It wasn't a prediction.

I've still never had a dream that I'm disabled. Never.

Some people are walking around with full use of their bodies and they're more paralyzed than I am.

It's defeatist to harp on what might have been, and yet, it's hard to resist considering what might have been.

I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.

At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable.

Either you decide to stay in the shallow end of the pool or you go out in the ocean.

You should take some responsibility for the way you present yourself. But you should not be hung up on your looks, whether you are ugly or handsome, because it isn't an achievement.

My father is an intellectual and physical man, which is a rather unusual combination. He's great. As he brought up me and my brothers and sisters, he ingrained in us that your appearance is not your responsibility, other than that you should not be a slob.

What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely. From an acting point of view, that's how I approached the part.

Never accept ultimatums, conventional wisdom, or absolutes.

Success is finding satisfaction in giving a little more than you take.

So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.

I did my first apprenticeship when I was 15, then joined the union when I was 17. I worked every summer in high school and college.

I am optimistic. But I also know that, with time, I'm beginning to fight issues of aging as well as long-term paralysis.

I learned years ago to come to terms with having so much done for me by others.

Don't give up. Don't lose hope. Don't sell out.

A hero is someone who, in spite of weakness, doubt or not always knowing the answers, goes ahead and overcomes anyway.

A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.